Release of Ahmed Abdallah

Update 21 October 2016: On 20 October 2016, Egyptian authorities raided the office of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF) in Giza, Egypt.

On 10 September 2016 a Cairo criminal court ordered the release of human rights defender Ahmed Abdallah and four other people in the same case, on bail of 1,000 Egyptian pounds. After the court ordered the release on bail, the prosecution decided not to appeal against the decision.

Ahmed was arrested on 25 April, on charges including possession of leaflets with intent to incite violence, calling to overthrow the regime and change the constitution, and the promotion by indirect ways and through the web of terrorist offences.

About Ahmed Abdullah

Ahmed Abdallah is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), an organisation that works peacefully in several governorates to defend human rights in Egypt. The ECRF has recently campaigned extensively against the systematic use of enforced disappearance in Egypt. In its recent report, it accuses security services such as the National Security Agency and the Military Intelligence Service of abducting political activists and holding them incommunicado in secret detention centres.

On 20 October 2016, Egyptian authorities raided the office of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF) in Giza, Egypt. Early morning on that day, four men - claiming to be affiliated with the Investment Authority - barged into the headquarters of ECRF and began searching the office without presenting a search warrant. Upon leaving the ECRF office, the four men threatened to close down the organisation and left without physically harming anyone in the process.

This raid is part of a ongoing and systematic intimidation campaign against civil society organisations working on defending human rights in Egypt. The staff of ECRF has been repeatedly targeted by security forces. Mr. Ahmed Abdallah, ECRF's board director, spent 5 months in detention on charges including possession of leaflets with intent to incite violence, calling to overthrow the regime and change the constitution, and the promotion by indirect ways and through the web of terrorist offences. Previously, Mr. Mohamed Lotfy, ECRF's executive director, was banned from travel during summer 2015 by Egyptian state security.

12 September 2016

Release of human rights defender Ahmed Abdallah

On 10 September 2016 a Cairo criminal court ordered the release of human rights defender Ahmed Abdallah and four other people in the same case, on bail of 1,000 Egyptian pounds. After the court ordered the release on bail, the prosecution decided not to appeal against the decision.

A week earlier, on 5 September, Cairo Criminal Court had extended the detention of Ahmed Abdallah, and his four detained co-defendants, for a further 45 days. Ahmed was accused of ten charges including: possession of leaflets with intent to incite violence, calling to overthrow the regime and change the constitution, and the promotion by indirect ways and through the web of terrorist offences. He was arrested on 25 April and was reportedly mistreated in detention, while also suffering from knee and back problems.

Front Line Defenders welcomes the release of human rights defender Ahmed Abdallah and his four co-defendants, but urges the Egyptian authorities to release the other human rights defenders who are still detained.

6 September 2016

Court extends the detention of human rights defender Ahmed Abdallah

On 5 September 2016, Cairo Criminal Court extended the detention of human rights defender Ahmed Abdallah, and his four detained co-defendants, for a further 45 days. He has been accused of ten charges including, possession of leaflets with intent to incite violence, calling to overthrow the regime and change the constitution, and the promotion by indirect ways and through the web of terrorist offences. Ahmed Abdallah has been detained in Tagamu police station in Cairo since his arrest on 25 April and has reportedly been mistreated in detention, while also suffering from knee and back problems.

The renewal of his detention comes after the prosecution appealed the decision of the Misdemeanor Appeals Court which ordered his release on bail, pending a 10,000 Egyptian pounds payment (approximately 1,000 euros) on 3 September. Abdallah plans to appeal this decision on 3 October.

On 25 April, armed security forces seized Ahmed Abdallah from his house. The armed officers confiscated his laptop and mobile phone. He was transferred to First Nasr City police station in Cairo, following an arrest warrant issued against him by the East Cairo Prosecution.

Front Line Defenders is concerned by the recent spate of arrests and detentions against human rights defenders in Egypt and urges the Egyptian authorities to grant their immediate release.

Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Egypt to:

1. Immediately release, and drop charges against Ahmed Abdallah;

2. Return the items confiscated during the raid, as they are manifestly not linked to any criminal activity;

3. Investigate reports of ill-treatment against the human rights defender, and adopt immediate measures to ensure his protection;

4. Put an end to the ongoing mass arrests against human rights defenders in Egypt and immediately release those detained;

5. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Egypt are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions.

25 April 2016

Wave of arbitrary arrests against several human rights defenders

Update 31 August 2016: On 27 July 2016, a Cairo criminal court rejected Ahmed's appeal against the renewal of his pre-trial detention. His next detention renewal session was initially set for 31 August, but it was then postponed to 1 September.

Amid a sweep of more than 300 arrests over the past several days in Cairo, Alexandria and other governorates, Egyptian security forces arrested several human rights defenders and transferred them to different police stations. This follows a recent call to protest in the “Egypt is not for sale” demonstrations, on 25 April 2016, against President Al Sissi's policies, human rights abuses and crimes committed by the security forces, and the transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.

Human rights defenders, including Ahmed Abdallah, Malek Adly, Amr Badr and Maysara Abdoun have been targeted and are facing different forms of judicial harassment, including arbitrary arrests and detentions, arrest warrants. They were accused of “calling for protests to overthrow the regime, distributing flyers to protest, affiliation to a banned organisation, and promoting false news.”

Ahmed Abdallah is a human rights defender, founder and board director of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), an independent organisation working on the promotion of democracy, religious freedom and minority rights in Egypt, as well as the spread of human rights values through documentation, campaigns and legal support.

Malek Adly is a human rights lawyer and director of the lawyers network at the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR), which seeks to promote and mobilise social movements to spread the culture of human rights. He is one the founders of the Front for Defending Egypt's Protesters, a group comprising of thirty-four human rights organisations and several lawyers documenting illegal practices carried out by state police forces against peaceful protesters.

Amr Badr is a human rights defender and the editor-in-chief of Yanair news portal aimed at the documentation of human rights violations in Egypt.

Maysara Abdoun is a Nubian human rights defender, actively involved in the defence of minority and Nubian rights in the Aswan governorate. He is the training coordinator at Border Center for Support & Consulting (BSC), an organisation led by a group of youths with experience in the field of community development and human rights.

Arbitrary arrests and house raids against human rights defenders began on 21 April 2016, which coincided with Sinai Liberation Day. This followed a call to protest on 25 April 2016, in opposition to the recent maritime borders' agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia involving the transfer of two Red Sea islands to the Saudi Kingdom.

The current smear campaign, as well as the ongoing mass arrests of civil society, political activists and journalists, is a continuation of the harassment and threats faced by human rights defenders providing support and legal assistance to the protesters.

Human rights defender Ahmed Abdallah was seized from his house by armed security forces. The armed officers confiscated his laptop and mobile phone. He was transferred to First Nasr City police station in Cairo, following an arrest warrant issued against him by the East Cairo Prosecution. He is currently detained for fifteen days pending investigations, and has been accused of ten charges including the possession of leaflets, calling to overthrow the regime and change the constitution, and the promotion by indirect ways and through the web of terrorist offences.

An arrest warrant was issued by Egyptian authorities against lawyer Malek Adly and journalist Amr Badr both accused of promoting false news. On 26 April 2016, Maysara Abdoun was arrested during the protest in Al-Mahatta Square, Aswan by Egyptian police and transferred to First Aswan police station where he is currently detained for fifteen days, pending investigation. He is charged with attempting to overthrow the ruling regime. In addition to the mentioned human rights defenders, numerous activists have been targeted by police forces, including activist Sanaa Seif who was summoned to report to the South Cairo prosecution for a hearing session on 27 April 2016, over charges of plotting to overthrow the regime and distributing flyers calling for protests. The human rights defender was further charged with insulting a member of the judiciary and a new investigation was opened. This follows her release from prison in September 2015.

Malek Adly was previously targeted and summoned by the Cairo Appeal Prosecutor for interrogation in April 2015 following an anti-torture protest in Cairo, which he abstained from attending. Earlier in January 2016, Ahmed Abdullah faced threats of detention after the police raided a coffee shop in Giza governorate and questioned the staff about him.

Front Line Defenders is greatly concerned by the recent spate of arrests and detentions against human rights defenders in Egypt and urges the Egyptian authorities to grant their immediate release.

Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Egypt to:

1. Put an end to the ongoing mass arrests against human rights defenders in Egypt and immediately release those detained;

3. Immediately cease all forms of harassment of human rights defenders in Egypt, as Front Line Defenders believes that their rights are being restricted solely as a result of their legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights;

4. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Egypt are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions.

9 January 2016

Human rights defender Ahmed Abdallah at risk of detention

On 9 January 2016, three security agents dressed in civilian clothes and claiming to be affiliated with the police raided a coffee shop in the Agouza suburb of the Giza governerate and questioned the staff about human rights defender Mr Ahmed Abdallah.

After being informed that Ahmed Abdallah, who frequently visits the café in question, was not present, the security agents proceeded to inspect the premises. A complaint was subsequently filed by Ahmed Abdallah to the public prosecutor, holding the Interior Ministry responsible for any attempt to physically or psychologically harm him or endanger his life. It remains unclear if an arrest warrant has been issued against the human rights defender.

The ECRF and its staff have repeatedly been subjected to harassment and intimidation. Its executive director, Mr Mohamed Lofty, has been under a travel ban since June 2015, when he was prevented from travelling to Berlin to speak on the situation of human rights in Egypt at a round table organised in the German parliament by the Green Party.

On 13 December 2015, following his arrest on 19 November 2015, the Abdeen Misdemeanour Court in Cairo sentenced Mr Ahmed Said, a member at the ECRF, to two years' imprisonment for participating in a protest without a permit on the fourth anniversary of the Mohamed Mahmoud incidents.

Two further members of the ECRF have been detained since December 2015, as part of an ongoing crackdown by Egyptian authorities on young activsts and pro-democracy movements, which is being carried out to prevent protests from arising during the fifth anniversary of the 25th of January Revolution.

The ECRF has also been subjected to smear campaigns seeking to portray it as a threat to national security. Media outlets with close ties to the security services have published several reports accusing the ECRF and its leaders of holding secret meetings with American and European diplomats to conspire against Egypt's national security.